24 October 2011

Award winning The Halia Restaurant celebrates a decade of culinary excellence at its lush greenery location in Singapore Botanic Gardens with a new menu and culinary team, complete with show kitchen and ultra sophisticated fittings in the restaurant. A celebratory 10th Anniversary Sparkling Wine 4-course set Dinner with pre-dinner canapés paired with 6 different wine and champagne will be held at Villa Halia, adjacent to the restaurant on October 27th.

New Chef de Cuisine Reynaldo Arriola honed his culinary skills at Raffles Hotel in Singapore and Michelin restaurants like Two Michelin-Starred Château Cordeillan Bages, Relais de Margaux, Chateau de Lignan and Evian Royal Hotel with renowned chef s in France. The Halia new menu features modern European cuisine with a touch of Asian spices for a multi-dimensional palate experience. The in house sommelier thoughtfully pairs the cuisine with recommended wines by the glass.

The Halia 10th Year exclusive Celebratory Sparkling Wine Dinner with pre-dinner canapés and champagne includes signature creations from The Halia’s new menu and paired with six different types of sparkling wines and champagnes sourced by leading wine importers Top Wines and Culina from Italy, Australia, New Zealand and France, including the Taittinger Cuvée Brut Réserve NV and Taittinger Cuvée Prestige Rosé NV at Villa Halia and is priced at $100++ per person .

Done in 3 ways, i tried the tempura and ponzu oyster first. Lighty battered, it is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Next was the freshly shucked oyster, super fresh and succulent. Lastly, i tried the baby spinach with Pernod , nutmeg & parmesan gratin oyster. Baked till perfection, it is absolutely delicious.

The farmed blue fin tuna cooked tataki style with a dash of soy is well seasoned and is so good on its own that you could skip the saffron cream sauce. I have to try the saffron sauce as its worth its weight in gold. Light and fragrant, it compliments the seared tuna with its crunchy black and white sesame seeds.

Wine Pairing - Mount Riley Savée Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Marlborough, New Zealand - Fresh and vibrant with aromas of white fruit, elderflower, gooseberry and melon. Great as an aperitif or with seafood.

The Black Angus Tenderloin in red wine jus and the terrific truffle celeriac creamy mash is out of the world. Seared lightly on both sides, the beef retains its natural juiciness and every bite is ultra delectable.

A self confessed dessert lover, i like how this dish is presented with both sweet and savoury creations.

The freshly sliced figs on the fragrant crispy thin tart pastry topped with light fragrant pear ice cream with a dash of bacon bits and drizzled with wild honey is decadent. A unique combination, i will not dream of having bacon ice cream as it would be too salty but this is done just right with the fig tart and a dab of the sour cream sabayon sauce is simply divine.

Complimenting the sweet dessert is a date encompassed in dark chocolate and crushed almonds and sits on the savoury brie cheese. This is another love as i adore cheese and chocolate.